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Timberwolves Tame WarCats
Timberwolves v WarCats
AJ Gates
Grant County Herald Independent
Published: Oct 13, 2023, 10:00 PM

PATCH GROVE – The dynamic duo of sophomore quarterback Brandon Davis and junior fullback Andrew Nies proved to be too much for visiting Southwestern/East Dubuque to contend with last Friday night.

Davis and Nies combined for 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns in a 36-24 Six Rivers conferencevictory over the WarCats, which propelled the Timberwolves to a league record of 2-1 and an overall mark of 5-2.

Running the read option to perfection, Davis led all rushers with 140 yards on 14 carries, including a one-yard touchdown dive late in the second quarter.

The sophomore quarterback not only averaged 10 yards per rushing attempt, but also completed 4-of-14 passing attempts for 70 yards, including a 51-yard TD strike to Matthew Nies in the closing seconds of the first half.

When taking the handoff from Davis, Andrew Nies averaged five yards per carry on 22 carries, rushing for 110 yards, including scores of 2 and 3 yards.

The Timberwolves struck first Friday night, putting together a scoring drive late in the first quarter to take an 8-0 lead into the second.

There, they added two more scores in the final three minutes, including a long TD strike from Davis to Matthew Nies with just 11 seconds remaining in the half.

At the intermission, the Timberwolves held a 22-6 lead over the WarCats, which they added to with two more scores in the third quarter, taking a decisive 36-6 advantage into the fourth.

The WarCats added three scores in the fourth quarter to cut into River Ridge’s lead, but proved to be too little too late.

The Timberwolves did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 347 yards and four touchdowns on 50 attempts.

Aside from the 250 combined yards from Davis and Nies, Brady Bunge added 63 yards on six carries, including a seven-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Drake Barrineau also chipped in 34 yards on five carries.

Of the five pass completion by River Ridge, Bunge hauled in three receptions for 19 yards, while Matthew Nies had one grab for a 51-yard score, and Carter Copsey one catch for 32 yards.

Copsey actually caught more passes from Southwestern/East Dubuque quarterback Aidan Colin, coming away with two interceptions from his defensive back position.

The WarCats concluded the contest with 287 yards of total offense, gaining 176 on the ground and 111 through the air.

Bunge led the River Ridge defense with eight tackles, followed by Andrew Nies with seven and Matthew Nies with five. Matthew Nies and Eli Hamilton combined for the team’s only sack.

Next up for the Timberwolves is a meeting with league-leading Potosi/Cassville (3-0, 6-1) this Friday night. The Chieftains are coming off a 41-20 victory over Black Hawk/Warren
Belmont's Kaleen McGettigan notches career win No. 200
Braves blowout Potosi/Cassville in coach's milestone victory
Kaleen McGettigan 200
Belmont girls head coach Kaleen McGettigan earned her 200th career win last Tuesday night with a 56–25 win over Potosi/Cassville.
Casey Lindecrantz
Published: Dec 13, 2024, 7:23 PM

POTOSI — Belmont girls basketball coach Kaleen McGettigan collected her 200th career win last Tuesday night with a 56–25 victory over Potosi/Cassville.

The Braves shot out to and maintained an early lead in Six Rivers West win over the host Chieftains (3–2, 0–2 SRW).

Potosi/Cassville claimed the opening point on a free throw, but a basket under the hoop by Morgan Freeman earned the only lead change of the night. The result was a Braves lead where the traveling team earned nearly 30 points before Potosi/Cassville tasted double figures.

“Any time we play a conference team, we know it is going to be a battle,” McGettigan said. “The Chieftains lost one of their starters the night before, but credit tot he team and their staff, they came out ready to play. Coach Nebel has done a nice job in her first month as a head coach.”

The Braves clung to a 37–16 lead at the break, nurturing it as they pushed to double Potosi/Cassville’s output over the final 18 minutes.

“I was pleased with the girls’ offensive attacks,” McGettigan said. “We are a tough team to guard because we are so interchangeable, and we need to take more advantage of that.”

The Belmont front was led by a three-headed monster of Lexi Riechers (18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 steals), Freeman (14 pts, 6 reb), and Kaci Riechers (12 pts, 5 reb, 5 ast, 5 stl). 

Carsyn Ramaker also took on an supporting role — her six rebounds and five assists were each tied for the team high.

“Lexi Riechers was a spark for us, and she got a couple things going on both ends of the floor,” McGettigan said. “Carsyn continues to see the floor well, and Hailey Bahr played the best game of her career.”

With just three opponents left ahead of the new year, the Braves’ next opportunity on the court comes at Benton on Dec. 12.

Junior Lillie Cooley scored a team-high five points in the loss for Potosi/Cassville (3–2, 0–2) which suffered its first loss.

Despite the win, McGettigan believes her team needs improvements in a few areas.

“We need to do a better job of consistently finishing around the rim,” she said. “We also need to be more comfortable  in our half-court sets.”

The Zephyrs (0–6, 0–2) most recently lost to Stockton (Ill.) on Dec. 9, 68–18, and haven’t scored more than 20 points in each of their last three games.

“We need to continue working on limiting other teams’ offensive boards, and getting to our outlet spots,” McGettigan said. “December is a slow month for us, so we need to stay focused in the gym and need to get better.”

Belmont 56, Potosi/Cassville 25
(from Tuesday, Dec. 3 @ Potosi)
Belmont 37 19 — 56
Potosi/Cassville 16 9 — 25
Belmont (2–1, 1–0) — Hailey Bahr 2, Courtney Fritz 5, Kaci Riechers 12, Morgan Freeman 14, Jaelyn Leitzinger 2, Lexi Riechers 18, Brittany Taylor 3. Totals — 25-71 2-7 56.  
Potosi/Cassville (3–1, 0–1) — Matty Udelhofen 4, Madi Weber 2, Lillie Cooley 5, Brielle Fishnick 4, Ruby Roe 3, Miranda Kieler 4, Delany McKillip 3. Totals — 8-43 8-11 25. 
3-pointers — B: 4-19 (Fritz 1, K. Riechers 2, L. Riechers 1); PC: 1-11 (Roe 1). Team fouls — B: 14; PC: 14. Foul out — none.